THE KINGDOM OF GOD, ITS PEOPLE, ITS PLANS, ITS DYNAMICS, ITS RESOURCES AND ITS CHURCH ARE UNSTOPPABLE.
My statement is: The Kingdom of God, its people, its plans, its dynamics, its resources and its Church are unstoppable because they are rooted in, nurtured and protected by the power of genuine Kingdom beginnings.
Being unstoppable is linked to beginnings.
Paul wrote to the Philippians, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). He is unstoppable, and so will His work in us also be. And so will we be.
It is absolutely mind-blowing that in the rst years following the liberation of the concentration camps, most of the greatest rabbis did not even mention anything about what had happened. Their focus was the future: weddings, children and children’s children, education and instruction. Not museums, but schools.
My statement is: The people of the Kingdom are unstoppable because as Kingdom beginnings take place, their power is inside them and among them.
Unstoppability develops as we discover, understand and align with Kingdom beginnings. The chapters 2 to 4 of the book of Matthew give us a detailed record of the beginning of the earthly life of Jesus, the Son of God. Even He lived in total dependency and with natural limitations, faced hidden barriers, but nevertheless undertook an aggressive undercover work with high-level political and religious persons; and God looked after Him, protected and led Him in phenomenal ways. Nothing stopped Him and the Father’s agenda and purposes.
To be unstoppable is established inside us when we are introduced and instructed regarding our assignment – it is God’s mandate from the beginning. This assignment is what was given to Adam and Eve:
Unstoppability builds on the following:
1) The centrality of the Son The power of Kingdom beginnings is what God has initiated through His own mandate according to His purposes.
He does it in His own way and time. We must therefore understand and stick to what has existed from the beginning: God’s model. The ultimate goal is God’s Man as His representative and agent of change in His immediate environment (life and work) and in the life of the community and even the nation. Just forget “ministry” for a while.
Jesus said in Matthew 16:15-18:
He said to them: “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
And Jesus answered him,
“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For esh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Jesus was fully aware that a major new Kingdom beginning had taken place. He received revelation from His Father, but now a man stepped into that dimension. A new era had dawned. The coming Church
will be made of people like Peter, and hell will rightly fear and be overcome by people like them (the Church).
Jesus said in Luke 10:21, 23-24:
In that same hour He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth...” Then turning to the disciples He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
Jesus was fully aware of a new Kingdom beginning. And He played a central role, to say the least. Just have a look at His “beginning” on planet Earth as it is recorded by Matthew. Then watch how His life, and even the end of His life, gravitated around Him. Even earth and hell were deeply shaken and a ected.
This passage from Hebrews 1:1-4 settles the matter:
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when
He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
We must prepare ourselves for the right attitude, reply and alignment as He moves forward and creates advancement for the Kingdom. When God opened the eyes of Stephen, he saw Christ standing, not sitting. It speaks about responsibility and determination. We might have become romantic through years of reading Psalm 23 about
“The Lord is my shepherd”. Maybe we read into something in the text, maybe we dreamt about a helper and carrier. He is those things, but He will take us to a place where we can carry the Kingdom without messing it up with our limited human thinking, hijacking it for sel sh plans, or even collapsing under its weight, requirements and agendas. He is truly the King of kings. Do what is necessary.
2) An intentional and ongoing focus on God’s leadership and instruction Paul encouraged the church in Colossae with these words:
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
Col. 3:1-2
The “seeking” and the “setting of minds” involve neither passive contemplation or silent amazement. They are for the purpose of instruction and corresponding alignment when we lay hold of it. This leadership and this instruction are to be protected from all that is inspired by self-centeredness and ambitious agendas. In this light, the centrality of the Son does make sense. And we begin to understand the reason for the strong words of Jesus: “Get behind me Satan!” Peter had come to realize the central position and role of Jesus, but then
a few moments later the divine revelation was on the verge of being diverted by human rationalism. There was de nitely a need for the strong leadership of the Son and for His continuous and ongoing instruction to protect the emerging revelation and enable it to take root and form the person.
For this very reason Jesus instructed the disciples to not rejoice
in what had happened, that the spirits were subjected to them or because of His words reporting that He “saw Satan fall like a lightning from heaven”, but to rejoice that their names were written in heaven, the place wherefrom they could expect further instructions for further Kingdom advancements.
Psalm 23 is a passage mostly used when we go through demanding times and it seems that our resources are very limited. Aside from these instances, it is used at funerals. This psalm and the song
“Amazing Grace” are quite similar in that sense.
But does Psalm 23 only contain this type of message? Is it all about being carried by the Good Shepherd, about resting by the cool waters and being safely protected in the midst of our enemies? I don’t believe so. This interpretation has been mostly formed (distorted) by religious illustrations. It gives us the wrong picture of a sheep which is the
focus of all heaven and earth, and of multiple enemies. This is not the case. The focus is not on the sheep, or its di cult journey described throughout the verses. The focus is on what is mentioned in the
very last verse: the House of God. And let me mention my personal discovery, which might challenge most of you. What about linking the last verse of Psalm 23 with the rst verses of Psalm 24? More about this a little later.
The rst point to remember is that Jesus is the Way. Love Him, walk with Him, trust Him, worship Him, and be changed in His likeness. This will lead to the second point, which is a question: What is the road, what are the elements of the journey? And that’s the issue where Psalm 23 helps us tremendously.
So let’s study this psalm nr 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your sta , they comfort me, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Ps. 23:1-6
“The Lord is my shepherd;”
Our rst point was about the centrality of the Son of God and we nd it here already in verse 1: “The Lord is my shepherd”. It speaks loud and clear and removes all confusion about roles – His role and ours.
Now let’s look into this “shepherd” title and have some deliverance – deliverance from religious distortion. What is the role of the Son? What did David see as he wrote these words? He saw a leader and instructor as well as a protector. The nature of His leadership is pastoral. The word “pastor” in Greek means simply a shepherd. Jesus is the leader, instructor and protector of the believer who is walking on the Kingdom road and taking the Kingdom journey to develop
a life connected to Heaven like the Son had, and have in uence on professional and social environments as well as human situations like the Son had. What does “pastoral” mean? It means that He looks after me and my needs while I walk, while I am trained, tested, challenged, stretched and formed. This is the true context of His shepherd role.
“I shall not want.”
This simply means that every resource I need during this training process and spiritual education will be provided by Him. It’s not about my personal needs, even though He is great and generous enough to take care of those – even when we live our own life, by our own values, pursuing our own goals our own way, and making our own decisions. But here we don’t talk just about Christians; we talk about Kingdom believers.
Why admit us into the school of the Spirit, the school of Kingdom representatives, without providing the materials and the means?
We need righteousness to not fall back into slavery and shame. We need peace – He is our peace. We need joy, because His joy will be our strength when the journey drains us. We must reduce sel shness to passive silence, as we let go of human skills, talents, tools and connections to receive new ones, better ones. Why should the coach of a team of marathon runners keep his theoretical knowledge and practical experience for himself? He will lead us and instruct us.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness, for His name’s sake.”
The road is demanding; the process is challenging. Our emotions can swing, our thoughts can spin out of control. Our will can consider resigning. So our pastoral leader is looking after us and leads our emotions, will and minds in the right direction. He will not allow us to be deviated from our position of righteousness. We might struggle, but not as slaves; we do so as sons and daughters in the process of becoming heirs and kings. We might feel feeble, but it is temporary as we get stronger. Whether we fail or succeed, we are sons and daughters of the King, and we will represent Him in our professional and social spheres. We will minister with His resources in human situations and circumstances.
“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your sta , they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;”
Remember, we aren’t speaking about the usual Christian life with its ups and downs, hills and valleys, sunny moments and shadowy ones. We are talking about the training journey of the believer to change into the likeness of the Son, and carry the mandate to its completion. What, then, is the valley of the shadow of death? It represents simply when we feel like dying. And we will do so. Flesh will be challenged, sel sh agendas strongly addressed, egoism and narcissism exposed, and they must die. No death of self, no resurrection of Spirit-life. And David wrote that we should not have fear in that situation. We will not go under, but we will rise from the ashes of the re which has burnt the self. No evil will take advantage of the situation, of a vulnerable moment as the old man decreases and loses its strength, and the new
man increases but has not reached much strength yet. We will be fully protected. As the Father operates as our surgeon, the room is totally sterilized and virus-free. And when we feel the vulnerability and the nakedness, He will comfort us because we are on the right road.
Let’s go back to the illustration of the coach of the marathon team. Why should he not provide for a medical team of doctor and nurses, physiotherapists and a mental coach to assist the team in its e orts?
“You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”
Not only is there leadership and instruction taking place, not only
will the needed resources be made available, not only will there
be a peaceful atmosphere and a righteous position surpassing all understanding and challenges, not only will there be a protection so the enemy is unable to take advantage of the situation and God will continue to fellowship with us, feed us and strategize with us...but something beyond all that will take place. Something supernatural will ow into our lives which is neither connected to the past or to the present training situation, but to the future and our role, our mandate and assignment, both individual and corporate. David spoke about oil on his head, a cup running over, goodness and mercy following him all the days of his life. It means in all roles, assignments, challenges, situations and circumstances. It means all relationships, including family, personnel and sta , ministers and heads of departments. It also means all international partnerships. It may even mean in times of distress and war, con icts and catastrophes.
Then we have reached the last verse:
“And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
This last verse is not the end. It is the platform for a new development in him and in the nation. It is the strategic base for operating in
his multiple assignments, roles and challenges. That is the table of orientation from which he can look into the national and international landscape with prophetic perspective and God-given understanding and instructions. There is a price to get to that place, and the price is to change into the likeness of the Son. He paid the price for the place, we pay the price to get there.
Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again
and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?”
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time – houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions – and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are
rst will be last, and the last rst.” Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid.
Mark 10:21-32
Why were they amazed and afraid? He was their good shepherd. And He led them, instructed them, provided the resources they needed on their journey – He exempli ed Psalm 23 with them. The way He operated with King David, He operated with them. And in the same way, He wants to operate with us.
But as previously mentioned, I don’t believe David’s text ends at verse 6. It continues in Psalm 24:
The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters. Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place?
What preoccupied King David’s mind was not being a miserable
sheep caught in an extremely di cult journey. His mind was on God’s purposes for mankind, for planet Earth, and therefore for His House on Earth, a mountain in the Spirit. Why? Because it is in the House that the training, the shaping and sharpening for Kingdom assignments in the society are supposed to take place. His focus was to get to that place, which is what Psalm 23 is all about. Then he was positioned to look “out” into his mandate: the nations of the earth. This location in the Spirit is what David called the “house of the Lord” and that’s the place where he would live forever, a place where everything with heavenly presence, personal life and Kingdom mandate come together. It is
also what he called the “hill of the Lord” and God’s “holy place”. God is in the Outer Court for a certain purpose; He is also to be found in the Holy Place for another purpose and He is in the Holiest Place with His fullness for His plan.
To in uence the earth, to function in its fullness, to touch the world
in a meaningful and lasting way and to operate upon the seas of the nations – which are people – you must be located on His hill and in His holy place.
How do we get to this point? Read Psalm 23 and you will nd everything needed to reach it.
In the Outer Court we experience God’s unconditional love. In the
Holy Place we experience His enabling grace. And in the Holiest
Place we experience empowerment. From there we experience God’s favor. So love, grace, empowerment and favor are all di erent. Love doesn’t increase or decrease. The rest do because they depend on stewardship.
Daniel turned away from certain things (food and drink); John the Baptist turned away from certain things as well. It is not religious
or legalistic activity, but turning down desirable things in order to receive favor. As they left aside things they desired for themselves, they became desirable in the eyes of God. Being desirable came from acting rightly. They turned away from the desirable in their own eyes. The least in the Kingdom is greater than John the Baptist who is the greatest. Not for pride, but for accountability. Put aside the desirable to increase in favor. All these processes happen in the Holy Place and they qualify us for experiencing favor in our mandate and its practical secular expression in the form of professional assignments.
This must be a principal issue in our lives and in the Church, an intentional and ongoing focus on God’s leadership and instruction through true fathers.
The rest is available in the booklet "THE KINGDOM BRAND | THE FEATURES AND RESOURCES". Mail me to purchase a copy...
My statement is: The Kingdom of God, its people, its plans, its dynamics, its resources and its Church are unstoppable because they are rooted in, nurtured and protected by the power of genuine Kingdom beginnings.
Being unstoppable is linked to beginnings.
Paul wrote to the Philippians, “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6). He is unstoppable, and so will His work in us also be. And so will we be.
It is absolutely mind-blowing that in the rst years following the liberation of the concentration camps, most of the greatest rabbis did not even mention anything about what had happened. Their focus was the future: weddings, children and children’s children, education and instruction. Not museums, but schools.
My statement is: The people of the Kingdom are unstoppable because as Kingdom beginnings take place, their power is inside them and among them.
Unstoppability develops as we discover, understand and align with Kingdom beginnings. The chapters 2 to 4 of the book of Matthew give us a detailed record of the beginning of the earthly life of Jesus, the Son of God. Even He lived in total dependency and with natural limitations, faced hidden barriers, but nevertheless undertook an aggressive undercover work with high-level political and religious persons; and God looked after Him, protected and led Him in phenomenal ways. Nothing stopped Him and the Father’s agenda and purposes.
To be unstoppable is established inside us when we are introduced and instructed regarding our assignment – it is God’s mandate from the beginning. This assignment is what was given to Adam and Eve:
- to be blessed by the Father
- to be receivers of His Word
- to be fruitful and ll the earth
- to subdue it
Unstoppability builds on the following:
1) The centrality of the Son The power of Kingdom beginnings is what God has initiated through His own mandate according to His purposes.
He does it in His own way and time. We must therefore understand and stick to what has existed from the beginning: God’s model. The ultimate goal is God’s Man as His representative and agent of change in His immediate environment (life and work) and in the life of the community and even the nation. Just forget “ministry” for a while.
Jesus said in Matthew 16:15-18:
He said to them: “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
And Jesus answered him,
“Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For esh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”
Jesus was fully aware that a major new Kingdom beginning had taken place. He received revelation from His Father, but now a man stepped into that dimension. A new era had dawned. The coming Church
will be made of people like Peter, and hell will rightly fear and be overcome by people like them (the Church).
Jesus said in Luke 10:21, 23-24:
In that same hour He rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said, “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth...” Then turning to the disciples He said privately, “Blessed are the eyes that see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
Jesus was fully aware of a new Kingdom beginning. And He played a central role, to say the least. Just have a look at His “beginning” on planet Earth as it is recorded by Matthew. Then watch how His life, and even the end of His life, gravitated around Him. Even earth and hell were deeply shaken and a ected.
This passage from Hebrews 1:1-4 settles the matter:
God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when
He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
We must prepare ourselves for the right attitude, reply and alignment as He moves forward and creates advancement for the Kingdom. When God opened the eyes of Stephen, he saw Christ standing, not sitting. It speaks about responsibility and determination. We might have become romantic through years of reading Psalm 23 about
“The Lord is my shepherd”. Maybe we read into something in the text, maybe we dreamt about a helper and carrier. He is those things, but He will take us to a place where we can carry the Kingdom without messing it up with our limited human thinking, hijacking it for sel sh plans, or even collapsing under its weight, requirements and agendas. He is truly the King of kings. Do what is necessary.
2) An intentional and ongoing focus on God’s leadership and instruction Paul encouraged the church in Colossae with these words:
“If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.”
Col. 3:1-2
The “seeking” and the “setting of minds” involve neither passive contemplation or silent amazement. They are for the purpose of instruction and corresponding alignment when we lay hold of it. This leadership and this instruction are to be protected from all that is inspired by self-centeredness and ambitious agendas. In this light, the centrality of the Son does make sense. And we begin to understand the reason for the strong words of Jesus: “Get behind me Satan!” Peter had come to realize the central position and role of Jesus, but then
a few moments later the divine revelation was on the verge of being diverted by human rationalism. There was de nitely a need for the strong leadership of the Son and for His continuous and ongoing instruction to protect the emerging revelation and enable it to take root and form the person.
For this very reason Jesus instructed the disciples to not rejoice
in what had happened, that the spirits were subjected to them or because of His words reporting that He “saw Satan fall like a lightning from heaven”, but to rejoice that their names were written in heaven, the place wherefrom they could expect further instructions for further Kingdom advancements.
Psalm 23 is a passage mostly used when we go through demanding times and it seems that our resources are very limited. Aside from these instances, it is used at funerals. This psalm and the song
“Amazing Grace” are quite similar in that sense.
But does Psalm 23 only contain this type of message? Is it all about being carried by the Good Shepherd, about resting by the cool waters and being safely protected in the midst of our enemies? I don’t believe so. This interpretation has been mostly formed (distorted) by religious illustrations. It gives us the wrong picture of a sheep which is the
focus of all heaven and earth, and of multiple enemies. This is not the case. The focus is not on the sheep, or its di cult journey described throughout the verses. The focus is on what is mentioned in the
very last verse: the House of God. And let me mention my personal discovery, which might challenge most of you. What about linking the last verse of Psalm 23 with the rst verses of Psalm 24? More about this a little later.
The rst point to remember is that Jesus is the Way. Love Him, walk with Him, trust Him, worship Him, and be changed in His likeness. This will lead to the second point, which is a question: What is the road, what are the elements of the journey? And that’s the issue where Psalm 23 helps us tremendously.
So let’s study this psalm nr 23
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your sta , they comfort me, you prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Ps. 23:1-6
“The Lord is my shepherd;”
Our rst point was about the centrality of the Son of God and we nd it here already in verse 1: “The Lord is my shepherd”. It speaks loud and clear and removes all confusion about roles – His role and ours.
Now let’s look into this “shepherd” title and have some deliverance – deliverance from religious distortion. What is the role of the Son? What did David see as he wrote these words? He saw a leader and instructor as well as a protector. The nature of His leadership is pastoral. The word “pastor” in Greek means simply a shepherd. Jesus is the leader, instructor and protector of the believer who is walking on the Kingdom road and taking the Kingdom journey to develop
a life connected to Heaven like the Son had, and have in uence on professional and social environments as well as human situations like the Son had. What does “pastoral” mean? It means that He looks after me and my needs while I walk, while I am trained, tested, challenged, stretched and formed. This is the true context of His shepherd role.
“I shall not want.”
This simply means that every resource I need during this training process and spiritual education will be provided by Him. It’s not about my personal needs, even though He is great and generous enough to take care of those – even when we live our own life, by our own values, pursuing our own goals our own way, and making our own decisions. But here we don’t talk just about Christians; we talk about Kingdom believers.
Why admit us into the school of the Spirit, the school of Kingdom representatives, without providing the materials and the means?
We need righteousness to not fall back into slavery and shame. We need peace – He is our peace. We need joy, because His joy will be our strength when the journey drains us. We must reduce sel shness to passive silence, as we let go of human skills, talents, tools and connections to receive new ones, better ones. Why should the coach of a team of marathon runners keep his theoretical knowledge and practical experience for himself? He will lead us and instruct us.
“He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness, for His name’s sake.”
The road is demanding; the process is challenging. Our emotions can swing, our thoughts can spin out of control. Our will can consider resigning. So our pastoral leader is looking after us and leads our emotions, will and minds in the right direction. He will not allow us to be deviated from our position of righteousness. We might struggle, but not as slaves; we do so as sons and daughters in the process of becoming heirs and kings. We might feel feeble, but it is temporary as we get stronger. Whether we fail or succeed, we are sons and daughters of the King, and we will represent Him in our professional and social spheres. We will minister with His resources in human situations and circumstances.
“Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your sta , they comfort me. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;”
Remember, we aren’t speaking about the usual Christian life with its ups and downs, hills and valleys, sunny moments and shadowy ones. We are talking about the training journey of the believer to change into the likeness of the Son, and carry the mandate to its completion. What, then, is the valley of the shadow of death? It represents simply when we feel like dying. And we will do so. Flesh will be challenged, sel sh agendas strongly addressed, egoism and narcissism exposed, and they must die. No death of self, no resurrection of Spirit-life. And David wrote that we should not have fear in that situation. We will not go under, but we will rise from the ashes of the re which has burnt the self. No evil will take advantage of the situation, of a vulnerable moment as the old man decreases and loses its strength, and the new
man increases but has not reached much strength yet. We will be fully protected. As the Father operates as our surgeon, the room is totally sterilized and virus-free. And when we feel the vulnerability and the nakedness, He will comfort us because we are on the right road.
Let’s go back to the illustration of the coach of the marathon team. Why should he not provide for a medical team of doctor and nurses, physiotherapists and a mental coach to assist the team in its e orts?
“You anoint my head with oil; My cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.”
Not only is there leadership and instruction taking place, not only
will the needed resources be made available, not only will there
be a peaceful atmosphere and a righteous position surpassing all understanding and challenges, not only will there be a protection so the enemy is unable to take advantage of the situation and God will continue to fellowship with us, feed us and strategize with us...but something beyond all that will take place. Something supernatural will ow into our lives which is neither connected to the past or to the present training situation, but to the future and our role, our mandate and assignment, both individual and corporate. David spoke about oil on his head, a cup running over, goodness and mercy following him all the days of his life. It means in all roles, assignments, challenges, situations and circumstances. It means all relationships, including family, personnel and sta , ministers and heads of departments. It also means all international partnerships. It may even mean in times of distress and war, con icts and catastrophes.
Then we have reached the last verse:
“And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
This last verse is not the end. It is the platform for a new development in him and in the nation. It is the strategic base for operating in
his multiple assignments, roles and challenges. That is the table of orientation from which he can look into the national and international landscape with prophetic perspective and God-given understanding and instructions. There is a price to get to that place, and the price is to change into the likeness of the Son. He paid the price for the place, we pay the price to get there.
Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” But he was sad at this word, and went away sorrowful, for he had great possessions. Then Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, “How hard it is for those who have riches to enter the kingdom of God!” And the disciples were astonished at His words. But Jesus answered again
and said to them, “Children, how hard it is for those who trust in riches to enter the kingdom of God! It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” And they were greatly astonished, saying among themselves, “Who then can be saved?”
But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” Then Peter began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and followed You.” So Jesus answered and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My sake and the gospel’s, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time – houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions – and in the age to come, eternal life. But many who are
rst will be last, and the last rst.” Now they were on the road, going up to Jerusalem, and Jesus was going before them; and they were amazed. And as they followed they were afraid.
Mark 10:21-32
Why were they amazed and afraid? He was their good shepherd. And He led them, instructed them, provided the resources they needed on their journey – He exempli ed Psalm 23 with them. The way He operated with King David, He operated with them. And in the same way, He wants to operate with us.
But as previously mentioned, I don’t believe David’s text ends at verse 6. It continues in Psalm 24:
The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, The world and those who dwell therein. For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the waters. Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? Or who may stand in His holy place?
What preoccupied King David’s mind was not being a miserable
sheep caught in an extremely di cult journey. His mind was on God’s purposes for mankind, for planet Earth, and therefore for His House on Earth, a mountain in the Spirit. Why? Because it is in the House that the training, the shaping and sharpening for Kingdom assignments in the society are supposed to take place. His focus was to get to that place, which is what Psalm 23 is all about. Then he was positioned to look “out” into his mandate: the nations of the earth. This location in the Spirit is what David called the “house of the Lord” and that’s the place where he would live forever, a place where everything with heavenly presence, personal life and Kingdom mandate come together. It is
also what he called the “hill of the Lord” and God’s “holy place”. God is in the Outer Court for a certain purpose; He is also to be found in the Holy Place for another purpose and He is in the Holiest Place with His fullness for His plan.
To in uence the earth, to function in its fullness, to touch the world
in a meaningful and lasting way and to operate upon the seas of the nations – which are people – you must be located on His hill and in His holy place.
How do we get to this point? Read Psalm 23 and you will nd everything needed to reach it.
In the Outer Court we experience God’s unconditional love. In the
Holy Place we experience His enabling grace. And in the Holiest
Place we experience empowerment. From there we experience God’s favor. So love, grace, empowerment and favor are all di erent. Love doesn’t increase or decrease. The rest do because they depend on stewardship.
Daniel turned away from certain things (food and drink); John the Baptist turned away from certain things as well. It is not religious
or legalistic activity, but turning down desirable things in order to receive favor. As they left aside things they desired for themselves, they became desirable in the eyes of God. Being desirable came from acting rightly. They turned away from the desirable in their own eyes. The least in the Kingdom is greater than John the Baptist who is the greatest. Not for pride, but for accountability. Put aside the desirable to increase in favor. All these processes happen in the Holy Place and they qualify us for experiencing favor in our mandate and its practical secular expression in the form of professional assignments.
This must be a principal issue in our lives and in the Church, an intentional and ongoing focus on God’s leadership and instruction through true fathers.
The rest is available in the booklet "THE KINGDOM BRAND | THE FEATURES AND RESOURCES". Mail me to purchase a copy...
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